A goalmouth on a misty floodlit pitch at night

Sunday 13 December 2026 · Waterside 3G

The Unity Christmas Cup

7 a side football for adults on the University of Northampton's 3G pitch. Two games at once, a film crew on the day and silverware for the winners. Up to 8 teams.

Enter your team See the format

£50 early bird to 30 Nov4 to 8 teams18+ only

The day

Two hours. Two pitches. One cup.

The full 3G is split into two halves so two matches run side by side. Every team plays at least two games. Trophies are presented off the pitch straight after the final, and the Waterside bar and restaurant is on site.

11:15Arrive, register squads and warm up off the pitch

11:35First kick off on both pitches

13:25Final whistle

13:30Presentation and awards off the pitch

Date: Sunday 13 December 2026
Venue: Waterside 3G, University of Northampton, University Drive, NN1 5PH
Format: 7 a side, minimum 7 and maximum 10 players per squad
Teams: Minimum 4, maximum 8
Age: 18+ only
Entries close: Wednesday 9 December, or when 8 teams have paid

£50~~£60~~per team until 30 November, then £60. Works out at £5 to £9 a player.

A small sided game under a single floodlight at night

A floodlit pitch seen through the perimeter fence

Prizes

Silverware on the line.

Five awards on the day, presented off the pitch straight after the final. Dress up for the last one.

Christmas Cup winners

The cup and bragging rights until next December.

Top scorer

Most goals across the whole tournament.

Player of the tournament

Picked by the referees.

Fair play award

For the team that plays it right.

Best Christmas kit

Jumpers, hats and tinsel all count.

Format

Built to fit the window.

We confirm the format once entries close. Game length depends on how many teams enter, so every team gets a fair share of football.

Two games at onceOne full size pitch, split in two

Teams	Structure	Game length	Games per team
4	Round robin, then final and third place play off	20 minutes	4
6	Two groups of 3, semi finals, final	18 minutes	2 to 4
8	Two groups of 4, semi finals, final	10 to 12 minutes	3 to 5

On film

A professional videographer captures the day. Every team appears in the event film.

Referees

A referee on each pitch for every game.

Into the league

Every Cup team that signs up for the Sunday League by 31 December gets the early bird rate of £30 a week for the first block.

Stay for one

The Waterside bar and restaurant is on site for food and drinks after the presentation.

Enter your team

Lock in your place.

The captain enters once for the whole squad. We email an invoice straight away and your place is held for five days while you pay.

Early bird£50 until 30 November, applied automatically

Partner codesGot a code from ShoSoccer, your university or your employer? Add it to the form for £10 off, on top of early bird

From 1 December£60 per team

Partner codes stack with early bird: £40 a team until 30 November. One partner code per team. By entering you accept our terms and player waiver.

Christmas Cup team entryPay by invoice. No card details on this site.

After you enter

What happens next.

No account to create, no checkout. Just an invoice and a confirmation.

Enter your team

The captain fills in one short form for the whole squad. It takes about two minutes and your place is held for five days.

Pay your invoice

We email an invoice straight away. Pay by card or bank transfer. No account to create and no checkout to wade through.

Turn up and play

Once it is paid you are confirmed. We send your squad the player waiver link, then fixtures and kick off times before matchday.

Only 8 places.

When they are gone, they are gone. Get your squad together and enter before the early bird ends on 30 November.

Enter your team